Message from the Director

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1 N E W S L E T T E R S H AV U O S I S S U E בס"ד table of contents Message from the Director 1 Handcrafted cakes made with love 2 Sprinklz: Your Choice.Your Imagination 3 SIAL Canada 4 Kosher baguettes? Bien-sûr, mon ami! 6 There s a Kosher app for that 7 Shavuos Recipes 8 Contributing Editors: Sarah Rochel Hewitt Chaim Ginsberg The Vaad Ha ir Jewish Community Council of Montreal 6825 Decarie Blvd. Montreal, Quebec H3W 3E4 Phone: (514) Fax: (514) Message from the Director whole nation which should have been written in the plural form. Rashi adds that this is because Bnei Yisrael stood at the mountain כאיש אחד בלב אחד, as one person, with one heart. This is the Just recently, you may have noticed message of Shavuos, all of us receiving the Kosher App, which has been the Torah in unison, accepting the Torah downloaded by thousands of users in unison and accepting each other in since its launch. The online feedback unison. Being a communal institution, has been incredible, which leads to the we continue to strive for the unity of the upgrading of this app on a daily basis community and we look forward to serwith more information vicing the entire commufor you, the consumer. we continue to nity through the various It is our pleasure to in- strive for the unity departments of the Vaad. clude only a few of the of the community Let s be successful in various companies that our unified attempt and have joined the family during the hope that we can all gather once again past few weeks. Many more will be as one nation to greet Mashiach speedhighlighted in the upcoming issues. ily in our days. As we approach the Yom Tov of Chag Sameach. It is a pleasure for us to present to you the newly designed Vaad News & Views, based on comments and input from members of the public. Shavuos, we are taken back thousands of years to the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The famous Pasuk stating ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר and Bnei Yisrael camped towards the mountain. Rashi comments that the word ויחן is written in the singular form, referring to a Rabbi Saul Emanuel Executive Director 1

2 Hand-Crafted Cakes Made With Love by: S. R. Hewitt Galaxy Desserts How does five layers of velvety chocolate cake placed between smooth chocolate ganache topped with chocolate ganache sound? Not into chocolate - how about fresh northern spy apples piled high in a flaky pie shell and topped with crumble? These are just a few of the delightful offerings of Toronto s Galaxy Desserts, an artisan bakery that offers customer-focused, high quality products. The ten year old bakery came into the Watkin family when it was purchased by Moe Watkin in In 2010, his son, Nitsan Ariel, joined the business and stayed on when he realized the great opportunity to put a smile on peoples faces by making their occasions special. Galaxy Desserts faced was rewriting their recipes to replace the dairy ingredients. This was particularly challenging because a lot of the bases used for their cakes contained whey powder and other dairy ingredients. Once they realized which replacement ingredients were required, they then had to find a source for those ingredients that were produced under proper kosher supervision. Although Galaxy Desserts had decided to create a new line of pareve cakes, this did not mean that they wished to do away with their already existing dairy line, which might isolate their former customers. They therefore needed to create the means of making both pareve and dairy products. The easier aspect of this challenge, although no small feat in its own right, was to acquire an entire line of new baking equipment. The more difficult task that they faced was creating an actual baking facility, which in reality meant that they needed to make two separate bakeries in the same building. Last summer, Galaxy Desserts Bakery moved into a new facility, making it possible for them to create both a pareve and a dairy production line. The two lines, however, do not run simultaneously. When the bakery is producing pareve cakes, the dairy equipment is locked away, and vice versa. For instance, heading into...creating perfect baked the holiday of Shavuot, the pareve kitchen was pareve confections is the locked while Galaxy Deswork of a baking artist. serts produced its delectable array of cheesecakes. Creating delectable cakes using creamy butter and sweet milk is the work of a talented baker. Creating those same cakes without the benefit of delicious dairy ingredients - in other words, creating perfectly baked, pareve confections is the work of a baking artist. As the producers of high-quality baked goods, the Watkins were surprised when their research showed how limited the kosher market was. Instead of simply wondering why kosher consumers appeared to lack choices, they decided to enter the market themselves. The Watkins already knew the laws of kashrut, which made the choice much easier, but the task ahead of them was still quite momentous. Once the decision was made, Galaxy Desserts began doing their homework, researching the different kashrut organizations and procedures that would be necessary to go forward. They chose to work with the, a choice which has resulted in a highly successful partnership. The first hurdle that the crew at 2 When asked to describe their experience working with the, Nitsan Ariel had only words of praise: We ve enjoyed working with the. From a kosher standpoint, they re strict, but pragmatic. We truly get the sense that their interest is to serve the community; that s their end goal. In that regard, we are very happy to be working with them because they have enabled us to reach this audience. The Watkins found the experience to be so impressive that they are even exploring the idea of making a line of kosher for Passover products in the future. With its new production lines well underway, Galaxy Desserts is ready to expand its market share. While they had previously been selling their cakes to restaurants and cafés, Galaxy Desserts has recently begun a new partnership with Sobeys in Ontario. Additionally, they are partnering with Foodfest Food Corporation, a major kosher food distribution company, and is reaching out to kosher consumers both in Ontario and Quebec (Montreal).

3 Your Choice...Your Imagination Sprinklz Frozen Yogurt by: C. Ginsberg Seldom have I met someone so excited about what they do as Mrs. Leah Benatar-Dray; and no one would blame her. Having recently opened the doors to Sprinklz, her new frozen yogurt place under kosher supervision, the steady flow of customers into the store has been increasing unabated. And it s not just a great product that has been creating such a buzz; it s the available variety, the young and trendy interior decoration and the really friendly customer care. For Leah, being a mother for her children has always been her highest priority. She, a long-time retailer herself had always dreamed of owning her own business, but knew it would be challenging for her three children. Then, on a trip to California with the family, mother and kids indulged at various self-serve ice cream stores. She, together with her kids; all of them ice cream and frozen yogurt addicts, immediately fell in love with the concept and dreamed of bringing the idea back home to Montreal. Here was the perfect opportunity for Leah, to create the environment that would be ideal for herself and her customers alike; somewhere to bring their children. So, with the help and support of her husband, Charles Dray, owner of the retail chain Key West Inc., Sprinklz was born, with the vision statement You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. Upon entering Sprinklz, I was immediately aware that I had come to the right place and that the rave reviews I d been hearing from friends and family were in no way overrated. The system setup ensuring your choice of frozen yogurt, within only a few moments of entering the store is superb. Everything is self-serve, so you can take as much time as you want deciding which flavours to go for. Should you experience any difficulty, there will be a smiling host or hostess ready to help out. Rotating weekly, there will always be twelve fat-free and even some sugarfree flavours to choose from - four pareve and eight chalav yisrael - from over one hundred possibilities. Of the thirty toppings available, nine are fresh fruit and the other twenty-one consist of hard and soft candy, cereals, wafers, cookies and of course, sprinkles! No nut toppings though, the premises is completely peanut and nut free. Hot drinks are also available for the weary and dreary in the form of regular coffee, cappuccino, espresso and latté. With seating for twenty inside the store and a further twenty outside, everyone has somewhere to sit. Leah tells me that it is a blessing and privilege to see the pleasure and happiness that the opening of her store has brought to her customers. If you want to treat your friends and family to this delicious, healthy alternative to ice cream from Sprinklz, gift cards are obtainable from the store. Sprinklz frozen yogurt is also great for Shabbos as it can be stored in your freezer like regular ice cream and it will be soft enough to insert your spoon immediately upon removal from the freezer. Not affiliated with any other store or company with the same name, Sprinklz will soon be a trademark and will be ready to franchise when the right opportunity arises. We can look forward to more Sprinklz at other locations in the future. Great news indeed! Sprinklz website will be up and running by June. There, you will be able to keep up with all the new flavours as well as other news and updates. Visit Sprinklz at 5328 Queen Mary, Montreal, Quebec. Sprinklz was born, with the vision statement You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. 3

4 SIAL Canada Food Show by: C. Ginsberg Have you ever stopped for a moment on a regular visit to your local grocery store or supermarket and been amazed at just how much food, drinks and ingredients are available to the kosher consumer, with reliable kosher certification? On my recent call at the SIAL Canada show at the Palais Des Congrès in Montreal early in May this year, I did. came an annual show in order to keep up with the constantly changing food market and to make the most of the business opportunities found therein. The Montreal Jewish Community Council has officially participated at the SIAL Canada show since As always, the met a great deal SIAL Canada is the International of interest from local and Food Expo which caters to North international companies conamerican food-industry profession- sidering obtaining kosher als. The show is one of the industry s certification. However, for most important meeting places for our exhibitors, representnorth America, hosting around 700 ing the Jewish Commuexhibitors and 13,000 visitors from nity Council at the show over 60 countries over the course of 3 is more about pride than days each year. SIAL Canada is an in- business. Many companies tegral part of the SIAL Group the present at the show are al s koworld s leading network of food-in- ready under the dustry shows which has a presence sher supervision and have on 4 continents (Paris, Montreal/To- been for a while; a source ronto, Shanghai, São Paulo and Abu of pride to them as well. Dhabi). In 2007, SIAL Montreal be- The great relationship 4 the has established with these companies over the years, guiding them through the ins and outs of kosher food production has paid off handsomely; rising profits on their part and more obtainable kosher food for the kosher consumer, the s ultimate aim. The distinct awareness of kosher food production at the show is astounding. In the pamphlet presented to visitors entering

5 the exhibition floor, the SIAL Canada coordinators identify all companies offering kosher certified products by displaying signs with this information over those companies booths. So large is the kosher consumer market, companies are rapidly learning what a major opportunity kosher production is for them and they are ready to make many changes to their modes of production in order to obtain kosher certification for their products. Also present at the show alongside representatives was Mrs. Danielle Medina, President and CEO of Medina Quality Assurance Services and President of Food with a Conscience. Medina, a trained dietician and nutritionist, enhances the health and well-being of Canadians by working with food providers to develop and manage effective, user-friendly food safety and quality assurance programs. Her company, Medina Quality Assurance Services, has built its expertise in the in-flight food service/airline industry and has recently expanded its services to food producers, marketers, and consumers across the food industry through Food with a Conscience. spoke of how kosher food is becoming continuously significant to all North American consumers as they are increasingly learning of the health benefits of kosher food, not just the food itself but also the processes used in kosher production. Medina reiterated what she said at the press conference that launched the Canadian Kosher Food Safety Initiative. We know that consumers care a great deal about where their food comes from, who is producing it, and how food safety and quality are being protected. There is no doubt that all bottom lines will be enhanced if we can raise the bar on integrity, accessibility, transparency and moral responsibility. So on your next grocery shopping spree, take a moment to reflect on how lucky we are to benefit from the abundance of food available to us as kosher consumers and to appreciate the efforts that have gone in to making all this possible by both kosher certifying agencies like the and manufacturers alike. Those following Jewish community news will remember that on November 4, 2011, the Jewish Community Council of Montreal welcomed the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture), to its Montreal offices to announce the launch of a Canadian Food Safety Initiative in partnership with other Kosher certification agencies across Canada. In a conference at the show presented by both Mrs. Danielle Medina and Rabbi Saul Emanuel, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, Rabbi Emanuel 5

6 Kosher Baguettes? Bien-sûr, mon ami! From now on, anyone who buys Première Moisson bread in their local Montreal grocery store can be assured that they ll be getting a Kosher product. In August 2011, a six month process resulting in Kosher certification was launched at the Première Moisson facility in Baie D Urfé co-ordinated by Danielle Medina, President of Food with a Conscience, a key private sector partner in the Canadian Kosher Food Safety Initiative. The Kosher symbol itself reflects a standard of quality, said Rob Benard, VP Operations for Première Moisson and a 35-year veteran of the baking business. When you already have a good brand like this, Kosher status enhances the product. It creates greater transparency and strengthens consumer perception which quality is being monitored in our central bakery operation. The new facility was opened in July 2011 and features state of the art technology including the use of radio frequency identification to track progress and a high level of mechanization to limit labour and increase quality. Goods are baked in a 21 metre by 3 metre oven custom, made in France, and lined with stone, cut in Germany. The line itself is run by only nine people. who are all fully-trained, skilled bakers, said Bernard. With all this high end investment, Benard said it seemed natural to go for kosher cer6 tification. The kitchen s kosher-approved status is evident. We have a locked box, around the electrical panel, for example, that s got an kosher seal, he said. Benard said that while certification may require changes in a company s operations like switching to suppliers who themselves are certified kosher, the system that provided to make these transfers was simple to use, transparent and saved management a lot of time. Independent Première Moisson outlets are NOT currently Kosher, but look for the mark on all Première Moisson products at your local grocery store these products have been shipped from the central bakery and carry the guarantee of quality and safety. Première Moisson was founded by the Colpron-Fiset family in Backed by 25 years of experience, the family draws inspiration from the best traditional recipes and ancestral bread-making techniques. We are thrilled to work with a company that believes that even the most modern, highest quality production methods can be enhanced through kosher certification, says Danielle Medina from Food With A Conscience. This project with Première Moisson has shown how we can work together to enhance brand reputation and customer confidence. Today, the company has eighteen bakery-outlets and three Express Counters and ships select products to Costco and to supermarkets from Ontario to Newfoundland.

7 There s a (kosher) app for that Not sure if that ketchup is ko- by, you can take a photo of it, sher? Wondering where the it to the Vaad and it promissolutely nearest kosher hot dogs can be es to get back to APP you immediately found? Kosher with an answer. Looking for a restaurant under supervision? The app will not only give you a list, but will show you The Montreal Vaad Ha ir has where each restaurant is located and how to get just launched a mobile ap- Within the first two to them. plication for its kosher guide hours of the launch, The fourth feature supplies that can be more than 100 users all the informadownloaded free of charge to downloaded the app tion that can be found on the a portable elecvaad s website, tronic device. It s available through the Apple which is currently App Store and the Android Mar- being upgraded. Besides information on kosher food, the site offers ket. a variety of news and information The Vaad is working on getting related to the Vaad and the Beth it for BlackBerry, too. Din of Montreal. Well, there s an app for that now. This is a first in Canada, said Vaad executive director Rabbi Saul Emanuel, and an advancement on similar apps created by some kashrut supervisory organizations in the United States. The tions. THE MK KOSHER APP Now wherever you go, you can have answers quickly, said Rabbi Emanuel, including the latest alerts on products whose kosher status has changed. - certified products can be found app has four main func- across Canada and increasingly in the United States, he said. All of the 30,000 products from around the world bearing the hechsher are accessible by category (baked goods, for example), specific type of food, or brand. GET FREE DOWNLOAD Within the first two hours of the launch, more than 100 users downloaded the app, and that was before the first advertisement appeared in The CJN this week, he said. If you come across a product J. Arnold - Canadian Jewish News that you re not sure is certified 7

8 Shavuos Recipes DELICIOUS Cheese BABKA Dough: 3 sticks margarine (softened) 6 ½ cups flour ½ cup sugar 2 ounces yeast ½ cup warm water ½ cup orange juice 4 eggs 2 tsp salt Dissolve yeast in warm water, let stand until foamy. Mix margarine, flour, sugar, orange juice & salt. Add yeast mixture, knead until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes. Filling: 3 eight ounce containers of cream cheese 1 ½ cups sugar 2 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla Combine filling ingredients, when dough has risen punch down and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a rectangle. Spread a third filling on each piece. Roll up, seal ends so filling does not leak out. gently twist each roll into a figure 8 & place into a greased medium sized loaf pan. Let rise minutes. Topping: ½ stick margarine ¼ cup sugar ¾ cup flour 1 vanilla sugar Strawberry SaucE topping 1 lb frozen strawberries 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon corn starch ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons almond liquor (optional: vanilla) Blend strawberries, pour into sauce pan, add sugar, bring to boil over low heat. Dissolve corn starch into water and add to saucepan. Stir until it becomes thickened over medium heat. Remove and add liquor or vanilla. Combine topping to form crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs on top of loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for minutes or until tops are brown. 8